Being a less aggressive consumer of health care is here to stay

According to today’s Wall Street Journal: Insured Americans are using fewer medical services, raising questions about whether patients are consuming less health care as they pick up a greater share of the costs. The drop in usage is showing up as health-care companies report financial results. Insurers, lab-testing companies, hospitals and doctor-billing concerns say that patient visits, drug prescriptions and procedures were down in the second quarter from year- ago levels.

Why is this happening ?

More Americans also are buying high-deductible health plans that force them to bear more of the upfront costs for health services. Some 18 million Americans bought high- deductible plans this year, compared with 13 million last year, according to the consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

One company reporting evidence of lower utilization is CVS Caremark Corp., the drugstore giant. In its earnings announcement Wednesday it said it is seeing a drop- off in new prescriptions for maintenance drugs tied to a decline in physician visits.  

Should DTC marketers focus on only on consumers who go to their physicians or should they also try and convince people to visit their physicians for regular check-ups and when they have health issues ?  I believe it depends on the seriousness of the health condition as perceived by the patient but an integrated effort by pharma, insurers and physicians needs to remind consumers that putting off visits to physicians could cost them a lot more than time and money, it could cost them their health.